Ventron Corporation

Special Exposure Cohort

Petition Evaluation Report

Samuel Glover, PhD

Research Health Scientist

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

August 2012
Brief Site Description

• Ventron Corporation (originally Metal Hyd

Corp) is currently listed as an Atomic WeapEmployer for the AEC from 1942 to 1948 wresidual radiation period from 1949 to 1981987 to 1995. It is listed as DOE for 1986 a1996 to 1997 during remediation. 

• Principal operations included the conversio

uranium oxide to uranium metal powder aprimary facility for the recovery of uranium for the AEC. 
Status of Claims 

(Current Cases) 

• Total number of claims submitted: 

• Total number of claims who worked 

during proposed (SEC): 

• Total number with a DR (at DOL): • Total number claims with internal or externa

records: 0 
Petition Overview

• Petition SEC 00198 received December 5, 2• Petitioner proposed class definition: 

• All metallurgical operators and electric furnace 

operators who worked at Ventron Corporation Beverly, Massachusetts from January 1, 1942 tDecember 31, 1948 
Petition Overview—cont.

• Petition qualified for evaluation on January 

2012 

• Employees never monitored 

• Class evaluated by NIOSH: 

• All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at 

Corporation site in Beverly, Massachusetts, from 13, 1942 through December 31, 1948 
Background

• The Ventron site is located in Beverly, Massachu

and occupies 3 acres on Massachusetts Bay, at tconfluence of the Bass and Danvers rivers. The is bordered by Congress Street on the north, thand Maine Railroad on the east, the Bass River west, and the Danvers River on the south. 

• The site was originally developed to produce m

the Office of Scientific Research and Developme(December 31, 1941 to November 1, 1942). 
Background—cont.

• 7,460 lbs of metal produced under this initial co

with the OSRD. 

• Manhatten Engineer District (MED) took over th

contract in November 1942. 

• Metal production from ores and oxides ceased 

September 1, 1943. 

• Metal was used for the first reactor, CP1 

• Foundry was used to re-cast scrap metal and re

equipment to be maintained in stand-by mode. 

• Ventron was the principal scrap recovery facility 

MED during this early time period. 
Background—cont.

• Scrap re-casting contract expired on Decemb

1947. 

• Following this date, all scrap was sent to Hanfor

casting. 

• June 1947 contract called for the developme

controllable source of neutrons 

• Used 100 pounds of high-grade pitchblende 
Background—cont.

• Refinery Operations: 

• November 1, 1942 – September 1, 1943 • Estimated workforce of around 107 individuals, plan• Production rate topped out at about 350 lbs of meta

on a three shift schedule 

• Scrap Casting Operations: 

• September 1, 1943 – December 31, 1947 • Project employed 16 individuals • Production rate of 3,000 – 3,200 pounds of material • Rate reduced to 1,800 pounds per day in April 1947 
Background—cont.

• Three primary facilities: 

• Building A/A-1 (conjoined structures) contained 

kilns, leaching equipment and machine shop 

—Uranium activities were not separated from other act

building 

• Foundry and machine shop

—Wooden structure South of Building A—Demolished sometime between 1948 and 1950
Sources of Exposure

• Processing of black ore (later brown oxide) b

calcium hydride process 

• Potential for radium contamination from black o

• Production of uranium metal and oxide • Later melting and re-casting of scrap uranium 
Sources of Exposure—cont.

• No discreet incidents involving high-levels o

radiation 

• Spontaneous fires from uranium oxidation w

routine 

• Ignition of powder as it was being hand-scooped • Material was thrown outside and allowed to bu• Spontaneous ignition of metal left in leaching liq

discharged to outside settling basin – happened every few weeks 
External Monitoring Programs 

Data Availability

• No evidence that a routine monitoring program exi• Direct surveys June 1944 (listed as Gamma and 

Beta/Gamma) 

• 3 measurements of outside stockpiled materials June 194• 3 measurements in working areas June 1944 • 2 additional measurements of stockpiled materials in June

• Direct surveys December 1947 /January 1948 (Gam

Beta/Gamma; Alpha) 

• 24 measurements conducted around Ventron 

— Wide spread contamination evident 

• 25 additional measurements contducted in January after t

of some of the equipment had occurred 
External Dose Monitoring Prog

and Data Availability—cont.

• December 19, 1947 

• 25 measurements taken 

• January 13, 1948 

• 24 measurements taken 

• Most of the process equipment had been re

before these surveys 
Internal Dose Monitoring Progr

and Data Availability

• No routine air monitoring, uranium urinalys

radon monitoring program 

• Bioassay results for one individual in June 19

again over a 4-day span in August 1945 

• Requested as a result of observed significant we

in that individual 

• Air samples 

• March 5, 1943: 12 Samples taken • June 15, 1944: 4 Samples taken 
Other Results

• 1943 assay by MED discovered the soil at 

was contaminated. 

• Soil contained between 0.1 and 79 percent ur

oxide 

• 120,000 pounds of soil were removed in 1944 

shipped to DuPont for uranium recovery 

• NIOSH has further information that thoria

tungsten filaments were produced from tpowder but complete details are sparse. 
Summary of Monitoring Gap

• External 

• No film badge results • Limited area monitoring for a complex source term 

• Internal 

• Virtually no bioassay • Very limited air monitoring for single operation • Data for refining completely absent

—No TBD-6000 approach approved for these operations—Limitation of TBD-6000 for very hands on operations

• No evidence that any monitoring is available for the n

fires and combustion events 

—Fires outside the building further broaden the exposure 

for process and non-process workers 
Ventron SEC Petition 198

• Why the class? 

• Workers were potentially exposed to radium, radon, 

uranium who were not monitored nor does a suitablreconstruction method exist. 

• Decision was based on lack of adequate biological m

data, sufficient air monitoring information, and/or sprocess and radiological source-term data to reconstwith sufficient accuracy. 
Ventron SEC Petition 198—con

• Why everyone? 

• Based on reports by the AEC and facility layout, 

process areas were not isolated from the non-prfacilities and airborne dust issues form processenoted to be extending into non-process areas. 
Ventron SEC Petition 198—con

• What about employees not included in the S

• NIOSH intends to use any internal and external monitorin

may become available for an individual claim (and that cainterpreted using existing dose reconstruction processes oprocedures). Therefore, dose reconstructions for individuemployed at the Ventron site during the period from Nove1942 through December 31, 1948, but who do not qualify inclusion in the Special Exposure Cohort, may be performthese data as appropriate. 

• Furthermore, NIOSH intends to estimate doses from med

using information from employee medical records and clafavorable medical dose reconstruction assumptions and m
Ventron SEC Petition 198—con

• Why stop in 1948? 

• NIOSH has obtained additional contract informa

during its data capture for Ventron which may suadditional covered period. This information has submitted to the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy. NIOSH will review the poperiod upon receiving the response to this new information by the DOL and DOE. 
Health Endangerment

• The evidence reviewed in this evaluation indicate

some workers in the class may have accumulated radiation exposures through intakes of radionuclidirect exposure to radioactive materials. 

• Consequently, NIOSH is specifying that health ma

been endangered for those workers covered by thevaluation who were employed for a number of wdays aggregating at least 250 work days within thparameters established for this class or in combinwith work days within the parameters established one or more other classes of employees in the SE
Proposed Class

All Atomic Weapons Employees who workthe Ventron Corporation at its facility in BeMassachusetts, from November 1, 1942 thDecember 31, 1948, for a number of work aggregating at least 250 work days, occurreither solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more claof employees included in the Special ExpoCohort. 
Recommendation

• For the period November 1, 1942 through 

December 31, 1948, NIOSH finds that radiadose estimates cannot be reconstructed focompensation purposes 

Class Feasibility Health Enda

November, 1942 – No Yes December 31, 1948